Places to See in Saint Lucia

The best time to visit Saint Lucia is between December and March, when the weather is great and hurricane season is officially over. There are plenty of places to see and enjoy on this gorgeous tropical paradise. The first stop on your journey through the island should be Castries, the capital, which truly showcases how Saint Lucian’s live. Founded by the French in the 18th century, today Castries is a modern and bustling port city that still maintains much of its West Indian charm with food stalls over the place and loud calypso music blaring from minivans as they drive past by you. The liveliest part of the city has to be the colorful Castries market at Jeremie and Peynier Streets.

In the city itself some places worth seeing include, the grand Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception built in 1897. Home to the patron saint of St Lucia, this church incorporates colorful African and Caribbean influences making a visit here truly awe-inspiring. Fort Charlotte is another popular destination in Castries, which its wonderful views of the city. Built on a hilltop, this fort has seen many fierce battles between the French and the English, though now much of it has been renovated to become a community college. Visit the obelisk monument here as well for some good views all the way up to Pigeon Point.

North of Castries you will find Rodney Bay and Gros Islet, both top notch beach destinations. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars here as well as an excellent nightlife, making it very popular with tourists. Also north of the capital you will find the wonderful Pigeon Island National Park. Created in 1979, this park is a fun place to explore with numerous walking and hiking trails and old ruins to explore as well as some good snorkeling offshore.

In southern Saint Lucia, there are a number of places to explore. Marigot Bay is a popular marina for yachters with its sheltered bay. Here you can relax along the quiet shores with not many people around to disturb you. Anse La Raye sits south of Marigot Bay and is a sleepy town with some great seafood restaurants. However, Friday night this place transforms into a party hotspot with good food, lots of loud music and plenty of dancing with two nightclubs and a number of bars located here.

From Anse La Raye, head to Soufriere and some of the best accommodations on St Lucia. Named after the nearby sulfur springs, this charming town has lots of character and some wonderful old buildings to enjoy. Just out of town you will find the superb Anse Chastanet, which offers some superb swimming and snorkeling along the beach out here. The sulfur springs lie just half a mile from Soufriere and is an excellent area to tour with many mud pools and steam vents to see. It is touted as a drive in volcano.

A short drive from the springs is the Diamond Botanical Gardens and mineral baths. A stunning place to come and relax, the stunning waterfalls here can be seen the new Superman movie. The baths at the garden date back to 1784 and offer some great therapeutic treatments. From here, head to Malgretout to see the lovely Pitons Waterfall. Choiseul is the handicrafts center on St Lucia, so stop her on your way to Fort Vieux to pick up some great dolls, baskets and other souvenirs.